All that was missing: Captain's hats

I think, instead of going through a long and detailed explanation of the wedding this weekend, I'll do something similar to my treatment of Megan's wedding, and give you a list of the things that I learned during my weekend in Rhode Island. But in prefacing the list, I'll tell you that it was a surreal couple days of mingling with the kind of people we knew existed, but had never met before: old family money, yacht and airplane owners, people who live in Europe half the year, and those whose weddings are written up in the Society page of The New York Times. We attended the rehearsal dinner on Friday night; the wedding and reception on Saturday; and the "Breakfast with the Aunties" on Sunday morning.

• If you buy a house in France, one upwards of $1.8 million, it will probably "come with" a butler and a chef. All the homes around there have them, and it's a perk to buying in that particular area. I wonder if I can get a butler with my apartment in Scottsdale. That's what, another couple hundred dollars a month, right?
• The J.Crew pastel, madras, seersucker outfits, and navy blazers with crests, are designed specifically for this crowd. I've never seen so many men wear so much pastel. Highlights include: a blue/white seersucker suit; faded multi-colored striped pants; a pink shirt coupled with a light green tie; the above-mentioned navy blazer; and a wide assortment of bow ties. The women were working it, too. Witness: red butterfly clips holding up a beehive hairdo; strapless outfits that were constantly being tugged up (a pet peeve of mine); and feathers adorning the hair.
• Homeowners/neighbors are generous with their guest rooms. We were invited to stay in one of the guest rooms of one guest whose father owns a home "around the corner." It was a welcome relief to not have to spend any money to stay overnight, and the house was better than a lot of other places we would have had to pay real cash for. (Actually, I was quite overwhelmed by this place. Gorgeous!!)
• Country club management doesn't like it when three drunk guys decide to putt the 18th green with sand-trap rakes.
• It's acceptable to not offer a selection of entrees for dinner. In a twist I'd never heard of, we were given the menu for the evening, and that was what we were served. Only the vegetarian at our table was able to venture off the chef's agenda.
• Really, really old homes on the water have toilets that smell like the ocean.
• A never-ending bar makes for happy wedding guests. There was no shortage of alcohol at any event we attended. (Not that I profited from it, but Brian had a great time.)
• When planning a weekend wedding, have at least one venue that is air conditioned. Perhaps this is the whiner inside me, but the whole weekend was dependent on a decent breeze and the grace of a cool evening. Even the country club was stifling throughout dinner.
• Don't make guests wait through a two-hour cocktail period before breaking out the main course of food. Two hours, actually, is an understatement for Friday and Saturday nights. More than that, really, but less than three hours.

I apologize that I don't have any photos to post up here to accompany my list of observations. We still don't know how to download pics from the digital camera, and my phone wasn't a discreet device to run around and snap images with. It's all good though, I have faith in your imaginations.